Hands setting device in a watch mechanism



v May 27, 1969 K IYOSHI BANSHO HANDS SETTING DEVICE IN AWATCH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 21, 1967 4 ,atviivavraiii,

n M 7 xvi/7221214. I "MIDI INVENTOR.

KIyasm anusuo mw M6 fim/ United States Patent US. Cl. 58-855 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention discloses a hands setting device in a watch mechanism, wherein the hands are settable by rotating a windproof glass which is airand water-tightly provided to the casing of the watch mechanism and selectively engageable with the driving shafts of the hands.

This invention relates to a hands setting device in a watch mechanism.

Most hands setting devices in the conventional type of watch which have been commonly used have been so constituted that the pinion is mounted on the inner front end of the shaft, on the external end of which a fingerscrew is mounted. The finger-screw, in practical use, may be mounted onto any of the back surface or the lateral surface of the front surface of the clock depending on circumstances where the watch is used. Accordingly, the position of the screw or shaft is limited by where the watch is placed. In case it is mounted on the front surface, there are encountered such disadvantages that the external appearance of the clock is injured, hands are often hard to be read since they are partly of wholly crossed or shielded by the finger-screw or shaft depending on angles of sight, in some case the finger-screw is caught in another body to be damaged, and further there is impossibility in certain instances of installing such shaft in a sealed casing. It has been in the driving part of the hands setting device that the watch provided with a waterproof device and a dustproof device loses its function. This is a common problem in widely used watches.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hands setting device according to an entirely novel invention made in view of disadvantages and defects as described hereinabove. According to the device of the present invention, its operation is extremely simple and ready, its

structure is solid, and preventive effect against dust, water and moistureis completely attained.

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a hands driving device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of a gears disposition of the same.

In explaining with reference to accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is cross sectional view showing a structure of an embodiment of the present invention, in which there are provided a Windproof glass 1 being made from a transparent material (e.g. plastics) and having a flange at the outer periphery thereof, a rotary plate 2 being also made from a transparent material (plastics) similar to that of the windproof glass 1, a hands driving gear 3 secured in contact with the central part on the back surface of the rotary plate 2, a knock-pin 4 being in engagement with said windproof glass 1 and the rotary plate 2 so that they are abutted to be rotated together, a spring-head 5 supporting the rotary plate 2 and having a round formed head, a coil spring 6, a column 7 for housing springs, a spring base plate 8, a face plate 9, a hub 10, a time-hand driving gear 11, a rear gear 12, a sleeve hub 13, a slip ring 14 of a minute-hand driving gear which is made from a spring "Ice board, a minute hand driving gear 15, a third hub 16, a bearing 17 for third hub, a base plate 18, a supporting column 19 for the rear gear which is fixedly secured to the base plate, a journal sleeve 20 of a second-hand which is fixedly secured to the central part of the base plate, a minute-hand sleeve 21, a time-hand sleeve 22, a spring 23 supporting the time-hand sleeve and being made from a spring board, a time-hand 24, a minute-hand 25, a secondhand 26, a fourth hub 27, a frame 28 which is fixedly secured around the outer periphery of the spring base plate 8 and has a step of T form at the top part thereof in order to eliminate backlash and jump of the windproof glass 1, a casing 29, an axle of a second hand 30, a Teflon sleeve 31 which is fitted in contact with the inner and outer surfaces of the frame 28 so as to effect preventions against water, moisture and dust, and an insulating plate 32 fitted closely to the central part of the rotary plate 2.

In explaining operational mechanism of this device, when the periphery of the windproof glass 1 is held between fingers to be pushed at the roulette part thereof, the rotary plate 2 in abutment with said glass 1 transmits the pressure to the spring-head 5, by the pressure of which the coil spring is compressed. At the same time, the hands driving gear 3 secured in contact with the reverse side of the rotary plate 2 is pushed toward the left direction in FIG. 1 to the same length of distance as the roulette part was pushed and becomes meshed with the hub 10 (in this case, teeth of the hands driving gear 3 are made in corresponding module and size with the time-hand gear 11, so that they are readily meshed with). Then, the windproof glass 1, as the roulette part thereof is maintained pushed, is turned to either direction of rightwards or leftwards, the rotary plate 2 rotates in syncronism with rotation of the windproof glass 1, since said rotary plate 2 is engaged with the windproof glass 1 by means of the knock-pin 4, and torque of the rotary plate 2 is transmitted to the timehand gear 11 which moves in mesh with the hub 10, and resultantly the time-hand 24 is driven. In this example, since both the hub 10 and the rear gear 12 are fixedly secured together to the common element, the rear gear 12 is driven, too. Torque of said rear gear 12 is further transmitted to the sleeve hub 13 which is driven in mesh with said rear gear 12, and fixed in engagement with the minute-hand sleeve 21, and consequently the minute-hand becomes also driven The minute-hand driving gear 15, however, is an idling pulley isolated from said minute-hand sleeve 21 and supported by the spring 14. Said minutehand driving gear 15 is normally in mesh with the third hub 16 during its rotation, and transmits the driving force thereof to the minute-hand sleeve 21 through the spring ring 14. In this case, drive of hands is operated in inversed order, and therefore, a group of gears arranged after the third hub 16 are given excessive loads and act as stoppers, so that the minute-hand driving gear 15 is not rotated by function of the slip spring 14. After the time-hand is set to a given time, and then pushing fingers between which the roulette part of the windproof glass 1 has been nipped are detached therefrom, the rotary plate 2 and the windproof glass 1 become replaced in situ by means of the spring 6. In synchronism with this, the hands driving gear 3 is detached from the hub 10.

If the roulette part is turned without giving pressure to the windproof glass 1, the hands driving gear 3 does not become in mesh with the hub 10, resulting in idling.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a gear disposition in an embodiment of the present invention, in which given numerals are common to those of FIG. 1. Gears thus disposed are driven, in view from the driving source of a clock which is normally driven, in such order as the third hub 16, the minute-hand driving gear 15, the sleeve hub 13, the rear gear 12, the hub 10 and the time-hand driving gear 11. Numeral 3 is the hands driving gear. As shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 1, this embodiment shows a clock of three hands system. Accordingly, the minute-hand driving gear 15, the sleeve hub 13, the time-hand driving gear 11 and the hands driving gear 3 are coaxially disposed at the central part of the base plate one after another, and on the predetermined point of the extending line thereof are disposed the rear gear 12 and the hub 10.

In comparison with the conventional type of hands driving device with that of the present invention, in the conventional one a pinion for driving hands has been driven in mesh with a rear gear, and further an intermediate gear is provided therein. In such type of watch a finger-screw is required to be wound so many times.

On the contrary in the mechanism of the clock of the present invention, as described in the foregoing passage, the hands driving gear is formed in module and shape similar to those of the time-hand driving gear, and equivalently acts as it drives directly the time hand driving gear. Accordingly, driving operation is ready and only a few times winding is necessary for setting hands of the clock. Further, in the watch of the present invention it was proven in experiment that a Teflon sleeve tightly fitted on the outer and inner sides of the T-formed frame serves as a tightly fitted packing, and is in contact with the windproof glass 1 and the rotary plate and slide thereon, so that not only preventive effect against dust, mois ture and water can be completely attained but also frictional resistance is lessened to produce a smooth rotation of the windproof glass, which further produces another advantage of elimination of its damage.

In addition, if a contacting plate of a ring timer is tightly mounted on the surface of the hands driving gear and hands are drawn at a desired point on the surface of the rotary plate, it can be used as a timer. In this case, hands of the timer can be readily moved to be set only by turning the windproof glass without pressure, in other word, by idling. As apparent from the foregoing description, the watch mechanism according to the present invention provides a number of advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for setting the time indicating members in a time piece comprising a housing, a glass rotatably mounted in said housing, hand members rotatably mounted within said housing for indicating the time, means within said housing for rotating said hand members, and means disposed in operative relationship with said glass and arranged to be selectively engageable with said means for rotating said hands whereby said hands are selectively positionable by rotating said glass and displacing the means in operative relationship therewith into enagement with said means for rotating said hands.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means disposed in operating relationship with said glass comprises a plate, a gear member operatively engaged with 4 said plate and arranged to selectively engage said means for rotating said hands, and means for normally biasing said plate and gear member into a disengaged position relative to said means for rotating said hands.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means for biasing said plate comprises at least one spring assembly mounted within said housing.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said glass has an angularly disposed flange extending into contacting relationship with said plate.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said flange extends away from the periphery of said glass toward and into contact with said plate.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said glass and plate are interengaged by a pin member and are positionable within said housing between a first position wherein said gear member is in disengaged relationship with said means for rotating said hands and a second position wherein said spring assembly is depressed and said gear member is disposed in engaged relationship with said means for rotating said hands.

7. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein a sleeve is disposed within said housing in contact with said glass and said plate for affording both a tightly fitting packing therein and a means for reducing friction in the rotation of the glass and the plate within said housing.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7, wherein said sleeve is made of Teflon.

9. A device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said means for rotating said hands comprises a hub member positioned within said housing, an hour hand gear positioned on said hub, and said gear member operatively engageable with said plate selectively engageable with said hub by depressing said glass and plate against the biasing action of said spring assembly.

10. A device as set forth in claim 9, wherein a rear gear is disposed on said hub, a second hub is disposed within said housing and is engageable by said rear gear, a minute hand gear disposed within said housing, and means on said second hubfor movably positioning said minute hand gear in the time piece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,462,839 3/ 1949 Brown 5885.5 2,463,315 3/1949 Rosen 58-85.5 2,995,888 8/1961 Ryan 58-855 3,129,557 4/ 1964 Flechter 58-85.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 238,870 8/ 1945 Swiss.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

G. H. MILLER, 111., Assistant Examiner. 

